With the proliferation of television set-top boxes used to navigate through a myriad of cable television channels, satellite television channels and the Internet, there has been a similar proliferation of electronic program guides and control metaphors used to facilitate the user's navigation through television channels, web sites and set-top box (STB) or video system functions. When considered in conjunction with a conventional television set (or even a high definition television set), the system designer is faced with a delicate balance between providing too much information and cluttering the screen so as to make information difficult to find, and providing the user with easy access to required functions.
Toolbars and menu bars are often used in computer programs and electronic program guides to simplify the process of browsing through television channels and web sites and controlling the operation of the STB. However, such toolbars and menu bars occupy valuable screen space. This can be particularly troublesome on conventional NTSC or PAL televisions where resolution of the displayed image limits the amount of information that can be displayed on the screen. If such toolbars and menu bars are not provided, the user is often left with the need to memorize key codes, wade through numerous menus, or backtrack in order to browse a previously browsed area, jump to a different area of the system or control the STB or video system.